Chapter 79: Live Streaming? Television? Or Video Calls?
"After all the discussion about 'Fate Zero,' has Dean Hohenheim arranged that patent system for me?"
After discussing "Fate Zero," Durin casually threw out this question before moving on to the main topic with Scar.
To this, Scar, still immersed in the story of "Fate Zero," took a moment to process before responding, "Patent? The Mage Tower had a meeting about it before, and I was there."
"Oh? So, how did it go?"
"At first, things seemed okay. Most mages thought it would add value to inventions and creations, so they expressed support. However, when they heard that your magical recording device and imaging crystals were to be the first to be protected under patent law, some protesters emerged. It seems they were the ones trying to independently crack your technology after that meeting."
"Heh, let them try to crack it. If they can, I'll admit defeat! These mages, who barely know the basics of alchemy, how can they understand the intricacies of this technology?"
Indeed, for these mages with no foundation in magical alchemy, the principles behind the magical recording device and imaging crystals were virtually bottomless pits. Unless Durin provided the design diagrams and information on the magical energy fluctuations, the likelihood of this technology leaking out was almost nil. Once the patent law was formally established, he wouldn't have to worry about technology leaks at all.
Seeing Durin's confident attitude, Scar couldn't help but laugh. "The dean said the same thing. Although there were still some resistant mages, since most were willing to pay a certain amount of patent fees to obtain your technology, it was ultimately passed by the majority. It won't be long before the dean comes to you to fill out the specifics of the patent and hand over the patent application forms that are enough to line up at the Mage Tower's door."
"Good, now that the first step is successful, the rest will be simple. What's up, Scar? Are you jealous? Then invent something good and apply for a patent. When we have the money, let's make our Alchemy Tower taller than the neighboring Mage Tower, at least!"
Hearing Durin's familiar, somewhat naive laughter, Scar, now looking at the young man before him, couldn't help but smile as well.
A few years ago, if he had heard Durin say such things, he would have thought the boy was too naive. But now, he truly believed that it was a possible future.
"Alright, alright, let's talk business. Do you have any ideas for the birthday gift we discussed for the Emperor? There's less than a month left."
Hearing Durin's words, Scar simply pointed to his alchemy table and then said, "Durin, didn't you mention this idea a long time ago? 'Since teleportation magic circles can perform long-distance individual transfers, why can't they transport smaller things, like a sentence, a drawing, or a video clip?'"
"Huh, did I say that?"
Clearly, what Scar had just said was probably a conversation with the past Durin. Although the current Durin certainly had that memory, the long time span undoubtedly made it faded from his mind.
On the other hand, Scar continued, "Regarding your idea, Durin, in the past, I couldn't make progress in my research because I couldn't find a suitable transmission medium. After all, concepts like words or drawings are difficult to convert and connect with teleportation circles, which fundamentally belong to magic. But now, with your invention of this magical recording device, I've finally made a breakthrough in my research on this technology!"
"Huh?"
Faced with Durin's confusion, Scar silently retrieved the magical recording device Durin had given him from under the table and continued, "The machine you invented, which can record images and sound, essentially converts information into specific magical energy values. After slightly adjusting its internal magical energy frequencies..."
As Scar slowly infused magic into the modified magical recording device, he aimed it directly at Durin's face. Then, a distant, similarly unique machine emitted a burst of light.
Subsequently, with the emergence of a series of images, an identical image of Durin's face appeared about ten meters away!
"Ah..."
Even Durin hadn't expected Scar to come up with something like this. As he stepped back in surprise, the distant image of Durin generated in the demonstration also took a step back!
At this point in the demonstration, even if Durin didn't make the connection, it was impossible not to. Almost immediately, he exclaimed in astonishment, "Is this... live streaming?!!!"
"Live streaming?"
"Uh, I got carried away, but how did you make this thing?"
Indeed, while Durin had thought about making a magical version of television to regularly broadcast his anime, he couldn't solve the critical issue of magical energy sources. Moreover, he couldn't find a way to transmit images over long distances, considering that this world wasn't a normal material world, and the existence of magic almost blocked most technological advancements that relied on farming for development.
In this situation, Durin, who had already given up, didn't expect to receive such a big surprise from Scar.
Excited and somewhat proud, Scar casually replied, "I thought of it after watching your movie, Durin. So I discussed it with a senior mage at the Mage Tower who specializes in teleportation circle research. Fortunately, we managed to create this prototype just before you arrived."
"A senior mage? Is there actually a senior mage in the academy willing to communicate with you?"
"Of course not, but as soon as I mentioned your name, they opened the door for me."
"...Interesting."
Surprised that his reputation had such an effect, Durin, while showing a subtle expression, asked somewhat seriously, "What are the distance limitations for this thing? How much magical power does it require to maintain? If I wanted to broadcast a signal across the entire empire... an image transmitted by magical energy, could it do that?"
Indeed, even though he only saw a rudimentary version of his dream magical television, Durin couldn't hide his excitement.
However, Scar waved his hand helplessly. "I don't know. I've said it's just a prototype. We haven't even conducted any experimental calculations yet. But I believe that with a little more time, we can get it to work."
Hearing Scar's response, Durin realized he was being impatient.
So, after calming down a bit, he began to think again about the potential uses of this alchemical tool capable of transmitting images remotely. Eventually, he said, "So, is this what you plan to use as the Emperor's birthday gift? I admit that if this tool could be made practical, it would play a unique role in military affairs. It would make a great gift for the Emperor, who has been considering taking action against the Orc Kingdom."
Communication and transportation have always been the two core elements of modern warfare. Although this world still seems to be in the era of melee weapons, the actual destructive power of its wars is no less than Durin's past world. In such a situation, a communication tool capable of remotely transmitting images and sounds would be crucial for the Empire's army.
Upon hearing Durin's words, Scar seemed surprised that he had considered this aspect. After a moment of hesitation, he finally said, "I hadn't thought about the military applications of this thing. At first, I just thought the Emperor would be bored sitting in the castle all day, so I wanted to invent this thing to allow him to explore the landscapes of the Empire without leaving palace..."
"Uh, well, that's also possible... No, why couldn't it be like that? Isn't this a great opportunity to promote our magical alchemy?"
Suddenly feeling his thoughts flowing freely, Durin stood up with a big smile and exclaimed, "Scar, these days I'll accompany you to test the actual coverage range of this alchemical tool as much as possible. If it can meet my requirements, then, the world's first live-action documentary might just be born!"
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